COVID-19 and Happiness:The Protective Effect of Relational Self

Wei Chaoxuan; Wang Lei; Xu Suyuan; Bi Chongzeng

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20230624

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2023, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (6) : 1462-1469. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20230624

Social，Personality & Organizational Psychology

COVID-19 and Happiness:The Protective Effect of Relational Self

Wei Chaoxuan, Wang Lei, Xu Suyuan, Bi Chongzeng

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Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is a major social disaster that led to stress reactions that negatively affect the mind and body, causing lasting psychological stress and reducing well-being. Even after entering the regular phase of pandemic prevention and control, the negative impact on mental health and well-being continues due to the uncertainty of the pandemic development. In this paper, we use Oishi's three-dimensional model of well-being to understand the breadth of the impact of the pandemic on well-being. That is, the impact of the pandemic on well-being will be reflected in the three sub-dimensions of happiness, meaningfulness, and psychological richness. In addition, studies have shown the influence of self-construal of happiness and environmental congruence. Individuals with different dominant self-construal orientations have different access to psychological resources when coping with the pandemic, which in turn affects their coping outcomes with pandemic stress. Thus, the interaction between individual self-construal and the pandemic can result in different changes in well-being. In summary, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of pandemic focus on well-being and the moderating effect of self-construal.

Study 1 used a one-way between-subjects experimental design to manipulate individuals'attention to pandemic information to explore the effect of pandemic focus on well-being and to verify the moderating role of self-construal between pandemic focus and well-being by measuring individuals'self-construal orientation. We collected experimental data from 119 subjects (41 males and 78 females) in an online experiment. The results showed that (1) Pandemic focus reduce individuals'well-being and is reflected in all three dimensions of well-being. (2) Relational self-construal moderates the relationship between pandemic and happiness and can buffer the negative effects of pandemic. However, the moderating effect found in Study 1 occurred at the trait level, and the relational self-construal was a measurement variable rather than a manipulation variable. Therefore, the definite relationship between the moderating effect of the relational self-construal on pandemic focus and happiness needs to be further demonstrated.

Study 2 focused on the protective mechanism of the relational self on happiness by using a 2 (pandemic focus, control group) × 2 (relational-self priming, control group) between-subjects experimental design to manipulate the pandemic focus and the relational self, respectively, to explore their causal relationship with happiness by activating the relational self. We collected experimental data from 203 subjects (59 males and 144 females) in an online experiment. The results showed that activation of the relational self enhanced individuals'well-being regardless of whether they focused on the pandemic or not. People's perception of information about the pandemic can have a lasting and widespread negative impact on well-being, but the relational self can buffer the negative effects of the pandemic and maintain individuals'well-being. In addition, this positive benefit can further flood into individuals'daily life.

These findings have important practical implications for public psychological protection under the pandemic. Under the regular phase of pandemic prevention and control, firstly, reducing the attention to pandemic information can avoid the loss of individual happiness. Second, individuals should be aware of the preventability and controllability of the pandemic from a rational and objective perspective, and pay attention to their personal pandemic prevention behaviors to increase their immunity to pandemic information. Finally, individuals are able to use the relationship to construct the adaptability in culture and context, such as increasing the importance of interpersonal relationship, deriving positive benefits from it as a way to enhance the overall level of well-being.

Key words

the COVID-19 pandemic / happiness / self-construction / relational self

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Wei Chaoxuan, Wang Lei, Xu Suyuan, Bi Chongzeng. COVID-19 and Happiness:The Protective Effect of Relational Self[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2023, 46(6): 1462-1469 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20230624

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